Can I change origional windows login name ???

[twoyorkie]

:lol: I purchased a Laptop from a store that had sold it previosly and the first owner had fired up Widows XP and logged his name to it ...
Now everthing goes via C:\documents and settings\Billy>
I want to change this login to another name (cos i'm not Billy )
Please give me the answers you techies out there :rolleyes:
Thank in advance !!!!

[digitalocksmith]

To change login names or user specifics in windows XP,
navigate ; Start>Control Panel>User Accounts

[twoyorkie]

Thanks but i think you missunderstood.....Billy....is the windows system folder name ,not the username and according to the screen it says I cannot change this (probably not exactly correct) so thats my problem ??????

['Stein]

Twoyorkie, to tell ya the truth, I'm suprised the computer store did not already reformatt the computer.

Do you happen to have your current XP discs? Because if so, I would definitely recommmend reformatting.

[twoyorkie]

Hi Stein
the machine was supplied with no discs and the OS was intalled as advertised.

[twoyorkie]

The thing is ...i only have either dodgey copys or an old ,pre sp2 disc ......bugger !!!

[digitalocksmith]

Sorry twoyorkie, the title of your post threw me and i should have read the details better, but it was a late night!!! sigh....

Yeh, if your system was not supplied with an up to date O/S disc, take it back and get the retailer to 'clean install' an XP SP2 O/S.. this should have been part of the deal which he(as stein says) should have done for you already!

Cheers

[twoyorkie]

Well sad to say he 's 1500 miles away in uk and i'm stuck in the costa del sol griping !!!! never mind eh!.....thanks for your time though

['Stein]

an old ,pre sp2 disc

Well I'm pretty sure that would work too--as SP2 can be downloaded online.

So you really have an old XP disc? If so, that's what I'd do...

[gerbil]

perhaps you are long since sorted... but not by anything i read here. the windows log-in name..... do you mean the one that is shown if u follow this path :- Start > control panel > system > computer name? And if u do, well, now you know how to change it. Nothing is forever....

[twoyorkie]

Thanks gerbil but I meant the registered name in Windows ......hmmmm a bit more complicated as i do not have the origion disk as it was installed on the machine by the manufacturer.......

[Linuxblazer]

U can do it by Start>Control panel>users. Create A new user on Your Name and don't forget to assign Administrator privilege to him.It's u after all!!

[gerbil]

"the registered name in Windows"!!! so that's what you wish to change... you shoulda said so!! Easy. start>run>type regedit. Go to this key:
HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\current version [open this by highlighting it]...and there you have it, down near the botom of the list -registered owner! Highlight the name, change the data entry via edit > modify.

[Samashahdi]

"the registered name in Windows"!!! so that's what you wish to change... you shoulda said so!! Easy. start>run>type regedit. Go to this key:
HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\current version [open this by highlighting it]...and there you have it, down near the botom of the list -registered owner! Highlight the name, change the data entry via edit > modify.

This is a screen cap of my Regedit
I can,t find the key your are refering to.
I tried searching the registry for "registered owner" and didn't have any luck.
Help please

Sam

[twoyorkie]

This is a screen cap of my Regedit
I can,t find the key your are refering to.
I tried searching the registry for "registered owner" and didn't have any luck.
Help please

Sam

Brilliant ....it take one who knows ......and you did ...fan bloody tastic !!!

[gerbil]

samashadi,
u gotta open up those listings.... [HKLM is hivekey local machine..] and i meant you to open the folder "current version" by clicking on the key, not to expand it....but more simply, when in the registry, highlight my computer , then just go up to edit tab > find, type registeredowner, and let it search. [sorry, i put a space in that word in my earlier post...] AND BE CAREFUL IN THERE!!! it is the heart of your puter. well, a fair bit of it....
Twoyorkie... are you sorted now? I got a bit confused by the threads running....

[gerbil]

Twoyorkie... are you sorted now? i got a bit confused by the threads in here.... glad to have been of help, anyway.

Samashahdi.... HKLM is hivekey local machine... u gotta open up those folders.... now i also meant for you to open current version [by clicking on it] , and not to merely expand it by clicking the plusbox. Sorry though, in my original post i put a space in the dataword registeredowner. Try searching for that... and BE CAREFUL IN THERE!!!

[twoyorkie]

samashadi,
u gotta open up those listings.... [HKLM is hivekey local machine..] and i meant you to open the folder "current version" by clicking on the key, not to expand it....but more simply, when in the registry, highlight my computer , then just go up to edit tab > find, type registeredowner, and let it search. [sorry, i put a space in that word in my earlier post...] AND BE CAREFUL IN THERE!!! it is the heart of your puter. well, a fair bit of it....
Twoyorkie... are you sorted now? I got a bit confused by the threads running....

Many thanks Gerbil..........here's a funny thing though.....now the MS software is now in a new name ..all the updates for MS office that refused to go on the machine loaded with no problems,so thanks to you 2 birds killed with 1 helpfull stone top notch regards Twoyorkie